


What Could Have Been Done?

by Blueskyportrait



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Light Angst, The Burning Maze (Trials of Apollo) Spoilers, some what
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-30 00:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16275188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueskyportrait/pseuds/Blueskyportrait
Summary: Nico has terrible news and both he and Percy aren't sure how to process it at first.





	What Could Have Been Done?

Percy and Nico secluded themselves Percy’s room away from the concerning eyes of Sally and Paul. Neither parent made an attempt to pry open the bedroom door to ask either boy if something was wrong. Nico could sense them lingering in the kitchen. He knew he must have raised concern when he stumbled out of nowhere from the shadows into the living room wide eyed and shaking. He pulled Percy into the son of Poseidon’s own room and told him what happened to Jason.

“I felt his soul leave the world of the living,” Nico choked out. Percy couldn’t process the words properly at first. His first instinct was to deny it. No. No it couldn’t possibly....  
“What are you…?” Percy knew exactly what Nico was talking about, but he still can’t bring himself to believe it. Believing it would mean it was true.

Nico huffs out a hollow laugh.  
“You want the bare bones of it?”  
“No. I…”  
“Jason is dead.”  
“No…”  
“You can’t tell me I’m lying. I sense his soul in the Underworld.”  
“He can’t-”  
“He’s dead Percy.”

Percy collapses on the floor, his heart raced in an uneven rhythm in his chest. Nico stares down at him with a hard edge in his eyes. He could see the tears that were threatening to trail down the young boy’s cheeks. He sits next to Percy and buries his face into his shoulder. Percy wraps and arm around the boy’s thin body as he holds his breath to keep a sob from bursting out of his chest.

*****

“I talked with Jason’s ghost last night,” Nico said. Percy flinched at the word ‘ghost,’ as if it struck him physically. “He told me he sacrificed himself in order to save Apollo, Meg and Piper,” Nico continued. “He heard a prophecy from the oracle Apollo was meant to free, that either him or Piper were going to die soon and he didn’t want it to be her.”

“Sounds just like him” Percy deadpanned. He and Nico were sitting on the fire escape of Percy’s apartment. It’s been a couple of days since Jason died and Percy still can’t wrap his mind around it. Despite knowing each other for only a few short weeks during the Giant War, Percy felt like Jason was a friend to him. And now he’s gone. For good.

“I should have gone with Apollo when he left,” Percy said dejectedly. Nico sighs wearily. “You couldn’t have known he would get involved-” “I could have done something!” Percy threw his hands up angrily. “But no! I wanted to stay here and do SAT practices tests, go to school, spend time with Annabeth, and having fun while Jason and Piper were out there risking their lives and I’m here fucking around!”

A million scenarios raced in his mind of what could have been. If he was there, maybe Jason would have made it. He could have cut down that Caligula bastard, then there would only be two immortal roman emperors to deal with. Maybe he could have healed Jason with his water powers. Could he even do that? There was a chance to try. Piper must be in so much pain. Does Leo know? Does Reyna? Does Thalia? Oh God, Thalia. Her only brother is now gone. How is anyone going to tell her that the last of her family is now no more? Percy buries his face into his hands. “God I’m so selfish…”

“Percy,” Nico pleaded. He grabs Percy by the face and brings it close to his own. “There was nothing you could have done. Nothing. This is not a burden for you to carry. That’s Apollo’s responsibility. He must be the one to bear it because Jason died under his watch and his mission, not yours.”

Nico dark eyes soften some and he gently encouraged Percy to breathe. Percy closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, counted to five and breathed out. “I...I still hold on to the belief that if I try hard enough I could save everyone,” said Percy. “I guess now I finally get the hint. It’s impossible.” The corner of Nico’s mouth quirks up in a smile. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t stop trying. Then why save anyone at all?”

Percy laughs, a genuine laugh for the first time in a couple of days. “Yeah.” They sit in silence for a few moments until Percy speaks up again. “How have you been handling this?” Nico hunched his shoulders. “It was...a really jarring experience, feeling Jason’s soul leave to the Underworld. It was like how I felt Bianca die, but at that time I didn’t understand what I was feeling and why it put me at unease.”

“I can feel millions of souls travel to the Underworld everyday, so much so that it’s like background noise I can easily tune out. But...it’s different when you know someone personally. I can tell apart from the noise what that person’s soul feels like.” Nico’s hands clenched on his crossed arms, his fingernails pressed into the skin forming angry red welts. “I almost collapsed when I felt Jason die. It was so sudden.”

Nico wipes the the forming tears from his eyes with the heel of his hand.  
“How am I going to tell everyone at camp?”  
“You haven’t told anyone?”  
“No. You’re the first and only as of now.”

All of this must have weighed Nico down. Knowing a friend has died and keeping it to himself not wanting to be the one to bear the bad news. Especially if the news came from the mouth of a child of Hades, the embodiment of death. So much pain and agony would be brought upon with his words if he were to speak of the death of Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, hero of the Giant War.

Percy gingery reaches for Nico’s hand and grasps it in a reassuring hold. “We can do it together.” Nico looks up, dark eyes staring into Percy’s green ones, a light of relief flickers briefly in the young boy’s eyes. He gives Percy’s hand a tight squeeze. “Ok.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a reflection of how I'd interpret how Nico and Percy would respond to the death of Jason Grace. I've thought about this for awhile. Hope you enjoy!


End file.
